Alongside our bioacoustic monitoring and traditional bird surveys, we’re proud to be using bird ringing as a vital tool to deepen our understanding of the bird populations on our farms.
We use key data such as Bird Age and Health, Breeding Success, Migration Patterns, and Prevalence of Avian Disease to inform our conservation strategies and habitat works. Ensuring our efforts truly benefit the endangered species they’re designed for.
Some of the birds ringed recently at our Kent farm include Yellowhammer, Nightingale, Grasshopper Warbler, Skylark, Jack Snipe, Bullfinch and Tree sparrow.
Many of these birds have faced serious declines. For instance, tree sparrow populations dropped by 93% between 1970 and 2008. But thanks to our volunteer group, and data from our surveys, we’ve installed tree sparrow terraces in the right places, boosting their nesting and breeding success.
Also at our Kent farm, our bespoke bird boxes support birds of prey, and our Kent bird ringers recently confirmed kestrels breeding in one of them!
We’re working to expand bird ringing across all our farms. If you’re a licensed BTO bird ringer and want to be part of hands-on, data-driven conservation, we’d love to hear from you.
